Drive
by shadowblade-tara
Summary: Decepticons and Autobots have come to Earth, but is it the AllSpark they are truly after? OC centric
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, or any of the characters thereof. Although that would be cool . . .

AN: I really wasn't going to start this until after I finished my last two Inuyasha fics, but I really don't feel like working on them right now. So, here's the sequel to Neutral. Enjoy, and expect this one to be a lot longer than the last.

**Chapter One**

It scared him, knowing that Megatron had finally arrived on Earth. He knew that the monster would come after their youngling again – and she was still very much a youngling. Had she been born a true Transformer, she would have barely been able to talk yet. As it was, she would have been considered an adult by her parent species, or something very close to it. Adult or youngling, it wouldn't matter if Megatron ever got his claws on her. She would be killed at best, tortured by Soundwave at worse.

He, Harbinger, would not allow it.

A touch on his shoulder drew his attention away from the computer display and his dark thoughts. He looked up to see Veris's dark optics staring back at him. "I'm assuming from your silence that Megatron has finally arrived." he said quietly.

Harbinger nodded, letting his frustrations loose with a sigh. "He arrived a few hours ago." he muttered. "Optimus Prime and the Autobots were right behind him. It's getting to the point where I'm not sure it's a good idea to let Rae out on her own anymore."

Veris shook his head. "You know exactly how well Rae takes to that." he chided. "After all, she is sixteen years old."

"I don't care how old she is." Harbinger snapped. "She's still our youngling."

"I wouldn't disagree with that." Case came to stand on the other side of the computer bank. "But the thing you have to remember is this – Rae is not defenseless. We have had eight years to prepare her for what's going to come. We knew it would only be a matter of time before our base was discovered. If the Autobots and Decepticons attack, she will be prepared to deal with the fallout. If anything happens to us, she will be able to take care of herself."

Harbinger scowled, but nodded all the same. He really couldn't argue with that logic. After all, he had been the one to train her in weapons of all kinds – and where a mech was weakest. If needed, she could indeed defend herself.

Primus help her if it ever came to that.

Bracket, the spider-like Decepticon, jumped onto Case's shoulder and studied the computer readout. A look of distaste crossed his metallic face. "Great. Now we have to deal with those two glitch-heads?" he spat.

Case nodded. "Yep."

"Pit. Bracket doesn't want to deal with them."

"Does Bracket think the rest of us are looking forward to this?" Harbinger snapped. Veris headed off the coming argument with a raised hand.

"Sheol and Greystreak will be back with Rae in a few hours." he said quietly. "I will brief them in a few minutes. They will be ready for an attack, should one happen. As for the rest of us, be on alert. We don't want to get caught unawares."

The other mechs nodded. Now was the time for vigilance, not panic. They _would_ protect their youngling.

/---/

Starscream was not looking forward to this.

He knew exactly what Megatron would be after, but he just couldn't figure out why. After all, on a planet full of humans, why couldn't the mech find another one to kill? It wasn't like there was anything special about the youngling on the Neutral base – unless one considered her upbringing.

In front of him, at the entrance to the Decepticon base, Megatron and Soundwave stood facing each other, unaware that Starscream was watching from the shadows along with Barricade. For whatever reason, the Decepticon police cruiser had decided to join in on the seeker's eavesdropping session.

"Report, Soundwave."

"It is as we expected, Megatron. They have raised the human in Transformer ways. She may as well be a youngling now. I don't think even she considers herself human." Soundwave sounded pleased for whatever reason. Megatron chuckled darkly.

"They've just finished our work for us." he said. "Are you sure she's ready?"

"It would take a few days of observation to make sure, but yes, I believe she is."

"Good. Take Blackout and Frenzy and get me those few days. Tell me everything she does, how she reacts – the works. I'll need every detail if I'm to make my plan work." The mech turned to his trusted companion – one really couldn't say Megatron had friends, but Soundwave was probably the closest he had to one – and flashed him a sadistic grin. "We'll have the AllSpark yet!"

Starscream and Barricade exchanged looks. "Do you know what he's talking about?" Barricade whispered.

"Barely." Starscream growled. "I just hope I'm wrong."

"Why?"

"If I'm not, I'm going to have to do something that's probably going to get me killed."

/---/

It was an interesting planet, Bumblebee had to admit, but he still wasn't quite sure what had drawn the Decepticons here. He had said as much to Ratchet when they first arrived, but the medic couldn't answer his question any better than anyone else had. All Optimus had said was that the Decepticons had come here, and so had they. Now, as they set up their base, he turned to Ironhide. "How long before the Decepticons find out we're here?" he wondered.

"Not long." Ironhide grunted. "Not if the Decepticons are even remotely looking for us."

"Which they are." Jazz pointed out. "Primus, if they even hesitated for one pit-slagging second we'd actually have some breathing room to work with!"

Ironhide slapped him in the back of the head. "Oh, mute it, glitch-head." he snipped. "You know we won't get any of our breathing room until we fry Megatron's aft to pit and back."

"All of you mute it." Ratchet snapped. "Bickering about it won't get Megatron fried any faster you know."

"Ratchet is right." Optimus said, effectively putting an end to the budding argument. "Our goal right now is to find out what the Decepticons are up to and put a stop to it." He turned to face the others. "Let's get to it."

/---/

AN: Yeah, short, but hopefully this new plot idea will make Rae a more important character than she was in the first draft. Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

It was still dark when Rae left the base to hunt. As usual, Bracket accompanied her when she headed out like this. He was the only Transformer small enough to keep from scaring the animals away.

The sixteen-year-old had quickly adapted to life in the forest. Food was plentiful, and she had no problems being required to hunt. Bracket could easily find her new clothes when she needed them, but none of the Transformers could figure out what humans ate. Rae really wasn't much help there – she was used to foraging for food, and it didn't matter to her whether it was in a forest or in a dumpster. Meat was meat.

It also never bothered her going barefoot. She had never seen the purpose in shoes – a few years walking around without them pretty much toughened her feet up enough that not much hurt her anymore. She still had to be on the lookout for scrap metal, but sticks and stones never bothered her.

She supposed it wouldn't hold up to others expectations, but Rae liked life as a Transformer. They were her family now.

"Rae." Bracket hissed. "It wouldn't be a good idea to go much further from the base. Case can't track us out this far." Rae nodded.

"Sheol wouldn't tell me what was going on." she whispered back, making an effort not to scare any potential prey in their area away. "Megatron and Prime have shown up, haven't they?" Bracket nodded grimly. Rae simply shook her head. "Then let's head back. I really don't want to get caught in the open with them on the loose." With that she turned and started to head back, one dead rabbit held firmly in her hand. She had been hoping for a second one, but it didn't seem like luck would be with her today.

A dark shadow fell over her just as a small experimental aircraft landed in front of her. The thing transformed almost instantly, becoming the last mech Rae or Bracket expected to see. "Starscream?" Rae demanded. A cheerful smile crossed her face. "What's with the new alt form? I thought you were a jet."

"I still am." the massive mech said stiffly. "I've got this form in case I don't feel like being attacked by every mech who's got it out for me. This time I really don't want to be followed." He knelt down so he was on eye level with her. Rae was the only human Starscream truly respected. Ever since that first meeting, when she had not been afraid of him, he had found it difficult to see her as a human. That very trait that drew him to her had also put her in danger. "I've got a warning for your family. Is Bracket transmitting?"

"Bracket has been transmitting since you arrived." Bracket snipped. "Bracket is not incapable of defending Rae adequately."

Starscream snorted. "I never said you were, runt." he pointed out dryly. With that, he turned his focus back to Rae. "Megatron wants you, and only you. He may attack the base, but it's you he's after." Rae's eyes widened.

"Why?"

"Beats the pit out of me. Maybe because of your upbringing, although I'm not sure why he's devoting all this attention to a youngling when he should be focused on the AllSpark." Starscream shrugged. "Prime has arrived here as well, but I don't think he knows whatever it is Megatron knows. He's just trying to stop us like he always does."

Rae was quiet for a moment, her eyes still wide. She was taking this all rather well, Starscream thought sourly. They had taught her that panicking really wasn't going to get her anywhere, so she had learned to think things through. He wondered exactly how well she would hold up under Megatron's interrogations or Soundwave's torture. If her family did their job right, he would never have to find out.

She looked up at him. "We'll be careful." she said quietly. "We were on our way back to the base now."

Starscream nodded. "I'll give you a lift." With that he transformed back into his new alt form. Rae giggled.

"Bracket will never get used to that." the small Decepticon murmured. "Starscream with US Air Post written on his side."

"Oh shut up."

/---/

Later on that night, when Starscream was safely back at the Decepticon base and Rae was back with her family, Blackout decided to do some searching on the little group. He would get the information Megatron so badly wanted, and then he would pump Soundwave for information as to why they were bothering with a bunch of outcast who decided to take on a human teenager.

He was especially careful to stay out of sensor range of Harbinger. He remembered all too clearly what the slagging psychopath did to Starscream all those years ago. He could only assume that the mech's skills had not gotten rusty. Either way, he really didn't want to find out by having his own arms ripped off. Now he stayed in the shadows and watched as the group interacted, filing everything away for later reference.

Rae was watching with intense excitement as a monster truck and a Pontiac GTO ran laps around the base. The Pontiac was in the lead, but that was only as far as Blackout could tell. Suddenly both vehicles skidded to a halt and transformed back into their mech forms. Harbinger and Veris, if he remembered the Autobot right. Their Neutral, Case, was grinning as he watched the two struggle for breath.

"What's the verdict, Rae?" he asked.

Rae giggled. "I hate to say it, but Veris won that round. Sorry, Harbinger."

Veris laughed. "Face it, Decepticon, I was built for speed." he teased.

Harbinger simply punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Ah, but I notice you still won't fight me, Autobot." he pointed out cheerfully.

"Do I look stupid to you?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Grinning, Veris took a good-natured swing at him. Which led to a good-natured sparring match. Which Harbinger won in three seconds. The others were laughing by now, Rae the loudest of them all. She was such a cheerful little youngling. Blackout could understand why these outcasts wanted to keep her around. Maybe she had been an outcast herself and they had offered her a place to stay. Who knew? It wasn't his place to determine motive.

He watched as the laughter died down some and Rae began to yawn. In a few minutes, she was asleep curled up in Greystreak's hand. It was several more minutes before the others realized she had fallen into recharge. Case chuckled quietly.

"She's had a busy day." he murmured. Harbinger nodded and took the human from Greystreak. Blackout noticed that the Autobot didn't challenge him. Apparently he was the guardian of the youngling. That would make it a bit harder to get the girl, but not impossible.

Harbinger headed back into the base, calling back over his shoulder. "Oh, by the way Veris – you suck at fighting."

Another explosion of laughter followed him into the base, where he collapsed on his recharge berth and gently set Rae on his chest. He joined her in recharge a few minutes later.

/---/

AN: Yes, I know it's moving slowly. You'll appreciate that later. Next chapter – enter the Decepticons!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

They had been given a few days of peace, but at dawn on that third day, all hell broke loose at the base.

The Decepticons were coming, and coming fast. Blackout, Barricade, Starscream, Soundwave, and Frenzy lead the assault with at least six other mechs, including Thundercracer and Skywarp. The mechs at the base were outnumbered, but not quite outgunned. The base was an easily defensible area, and none of them were moving.

Veris, Greystreak, and Sheol guarded the front door, watching as the Decepticons readied themselves for the attack. Greystreak frowned. "What in pit is Starscream doing out there?" he muttered. Sheol shook his head.

"No idea, but I'm more than willing to bet that Megatron threatened to tear his spark out if he didn't go along with it." the mech muttered darkly. "Besides, he may be here trying to keep his eye on Rae." Silver nodded from his position by the backdoor. Harbinger stood beside him, trying to raise Bracket on their private radio. Rae was out hunting with him again. He had to be warned not to bring Rae back to the base until Harbinger gave the ok. He cursed violently.

"They're out of range. Slag it, I told them to stay close to the base!" he hissed. Silver shook his head.

"That could be a good thing." he said quietly. "If they're far enough away, the Decepticons won't pick up on Bracket's signal. Things could work in our favor."

"Could." Harbinger said sourly. "Don't count on it." He turned towards the others, sending Veris a half-pleading, half-stated look. He was going after Rae, no matter what Veris said. He just hoped the Autobot he had come to respect understood.

Veris nodded slowly. "Go find her, Harbinger." he said quietly. He understood fully what was tearing at the Decepticon – Harbinger had lost one youngling under his care, and he was terrified that he would lose another. The Decepticon flashed him a humorless grin and took off out the back door. Silver looked at Veris in confusion.

"Was that wise?" he asked. "If Harbinger runs into any of them, he'll lead them straight to Rae."

"It may not have been wise." Veris admitted. "But it's the only thing I can do. Come on. Let's focus on the task at hand. The Decepticons will only wait so long."

/---/

Rae was running, darting in between trees and jumping over roots and fallen limbs, trying her hardest to lose the mech chasing her. She had thought that its massive size would have slowed it down, and it did. It was still faster than her.

Slag, but it was big!

Rae cursed under her breath, the clicks and beeps of the Cybertronian language coming as naturally to her as the English she had been raised on. Unfortunately for the mechs who raised her, when Sheol and Silver started teaching her the language, the curses had popped up most frequently. Needless to say, she was a master at cussing in Cybertronian. Much to everyone else's amusement.

"Rae!"

She skid to a halt, sliding underneath another mech's legs as Harbinger came crashing over her, slamming into the Decepticon that had been attacking her. Bracket was by her side once again, keeping an eye on her. Rae watched with openmouthed amazement.

She had seen Harbinger pissed off before. She knew exactly how dangerous he was when he felt threatened – or when she was threatened. After all, how many times had he attacked Sheol and Greystreak when their fights got out of hand and Rae was too close? It hadn't happened often; if anything, Sheol and Greystreak were quick learners. It was still enough that even Rae understood that no mech wanted to be on the receiving end of his fury. But this –

This was simply incredible.

Harbinger had attacked the Decepticon with reckless abandon, knocking it back and on the ground before it could even think to counter the assault. "Slag it, Harbinger!" the thing spat. "I should have known you would be here!"

"You won't hurt my youngling, Devastator!" Harbinger spat out. "Rae, run!" He looked up only long enough to tell that Rae had taken his words to heart and was running fast towards the base, Bracket still clinging to her shoulder. Once she was safely out of optic range, he turned his focus back to Devastator. The Decepticon was laughing now, a malicious glint in his eyes.

"Your youngling?" he hissed. "I would have thought the last time would have shown you the folly of taking on sparklings. Then again, I think the loss knocked some screws loose. Your CPU's on the fritz."

Harbinger slammed his fist into Devastator's torso, right where a human stomach would have been. The result was similar to punching a human in the gut. Devastator's optics dimmed, but not by much.

"You killed him!" Harbinger shouted. "You were the one who lead that youngling to his death, despite what Megatron says. He should never have been out there in that battle; he was too young. You were the one who ordered it! You got him killed!" His left arm transformed into a dagger, and he stabbed it straight through Devastator's shoulder, pinning him to the soft earth.

"_You killed Frenzy, but I won't let you kill Rae!"_

/---/

Rae tripped and fell again just as three F-22s flew overhead, twisting back around to land in front of her. They transformed into three more Decepticons before hitting the ground. Rae scowled. "Just my pit-slagging luck." she growled. "I had to find the Seekers."

Standing in front of her were Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp. Not that Rae knew who Thundercracker and Skywarp were, but she understood the relationship they held to Starscream. They were all brothers, in the mech sense of the term. Megatron's famous Seekers, and they all hated the leader as much as Starscream did. In fact, if Starscream ever succeeded in overthrowing Megatron, Thundercracker and Skywarp would be his biggest supporters.

Along with fifty other Decepticon mechs. No honor among thieves, so to speak.

Starscream sent Rae a silent look of warning, one that spoke volumes. Rae nodded. Silently, she reached up and tapped Bracket on the head. The mech nodded slightly and jumped from her shoulder, taking off in the direction of the base. None of the other mechs moved.

"Nice try, fleshling." Skywarp cackled. "We ain't gonna go chasing after some pit-spawned drone of yours."

Rae almost rolled her eyes, but composed herself to a resigned look. "All right. I'm tired of running, and I doubt I'm going to outrun either of you anyways. So – " She bent down, picked up a decent sized pinecone, and took aim.

_CRACK!_

Thundercracker was down an optic. Rae was on the run once again.

Starscream just had to laugh.

/---/

In the end, the mechs made it back to their base without Rae. As much as Veris hated leaving her to the Seekers, he knew she would be reasonably safe with Starscream. He had arrived just in time to see Skywarp force the girl into Starscream's cabin and got a good view of a one-optic Thundercracker cursing up a storm. He had smiled at that, although it was a strained one.

It would take some doing to get their youngling back again.

Silver sighed in defeat as he stared glumly out of the base door. "Well, they're down Soundwave, Thundercracker, and two other unknown mechs." he commented dryly. "We're down Rae. Who got the short end of that stick?"

"Oh, that's not all they're down." Harbinger said offhandedly, toying with something he'd had with him ever since he got back to the base. No one had really gotten a good look at what it was, but they could only assume it was the reason he was so calm about all of this. Veris gave him a look, but didn't comment on it.

"The unknowns are dead." Case said shortly. "Soundwave had a dagger shoved through his head, so the only reason he's still alive is because of that stupid mind-reading trick of his. It went haywire before I could kill him. Thundercracker is injured, but not nearly as seriously. He'll live. Soundwave may not."

"Not much of a loss." Bracket murmured. Greystreak nodded fervently.

Sheol frowned. "What are you toying with?" he demanded.

Harbinger smirked and held up his prize: Devastator's left arm. Case shook his head.

"What is it with you and arms?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Megatron stared calmly at the girl Skywarp held in his claws. There was only a minimal amount of fear written in the human's face, more like she was well aware of her situation and trying to find a way out of it. She was struggling against her panic, and Megatron found it . . . amusing.

He crouched down so he was on her level and looked her dead in the eye. "Do you want to go back home?" he asked quietly. Rae glared at him.

"Don't even try it, Megatron." she said tiredly. "I've heard a lot of stuff about you, and none of it is good. And that's from your own Decepticons. I'd hate to hear what the Autobots have to say about you." She shook her head in mock-sadness, and an amused chuckle rippled across the group of mechs who had gathered to see the new prisoner. Megatron's optics narrowed as anger radiated off him in waves. Rae was trying to shake him up a bit, prove she wasn't scared of him when she had a healthy dose of fear. She would go as far as she could to keep him from pushing her around, but she wouldn't get him so mad that he would lose control and hurt her. From what Starscream had said, Megatron wanted her for a reason. She didn't want to become useless before she had a chance to escape. "Whatever lies you're about to tell me, don't. I'm not interested."

Megatron scowled. "You haven't even heard my offer. Are you sure you want to turn me down?"

"You want something from me. If I do what you want, you'll let me go." She rolled her eyes. "Pardon me, but that's a bunch of slag and we both know it."

The Decepticon leader shook his head in amazement. "They trained you well. I suppose you see us as the 'bad guys', huh? Are we evil in your eyes?"

Rae was cautious now. He was fishing for something. The change in topic was just too quick for anything else, but she saw no harm in answering honestly. "Considering your little war destroyed your home planet and probably a few others in the process, I'd say both you and Prime have steel rods through your CPUs for keeping it up for this long." she said quietly.

He laughed heartily at that, and that made Rae even more nervous. Whatever she had said, it was exactly what he wanted to hear. "I'm sure Prime would be ecstatic to hear that." he murmured. _If he knew what I know._ "I'm going to make you a deal. You see, there's this thing we want that will help end the war. It's called the AllSpark. I want you to help us find it."

"The AllSpark." Rae closed her eyes for a moment, bringing to mind the little bit of information that Case had told her during one of her physiology lessons. "Why would you need that? The Creation Matrix will give you all the Decepticon sparklings you need. The same goes for the Autobots. All the AllSpark does is create Neutrals. Half-breeds. Not something a noble Decepticon such as you would want." She spat the last sentence out like it tasted bad. There were a lot of Decepticons she would call noble, but Megatron was not one of them. "What would I get in exchange?"

"Your freedom."

"Like I don't have that already."

Her fear was almost gone, Megatron noticed with some interest. Ever since he had asked her her views on the war, she had been more relaxed. That might not be a good thing. "Human, you must understand – "

"Rae."

He blinked. "What?"

"My name is Rae. I am not human."

There was a long moment of silence. In the background of the small group, Starscream smirked. Barricade shot him a look. "The little human does have her appeals." he murmured to the Seeker. "I wonder if Megatron would let me keep her."

Starscream shook his head. "It would be safer to kill her. Harbinger was pretty fragged off when we took her."

Barricade stared at him in shock. _"Harbinger?_ That slagger was there?"

"Of course. That's his youngling right there. He was her guardian."

Barricade hesitated a moment. "I still like her." he said. "Not many have stood up to Megatron of all mechs like that." Starscream nodded. "So what do we do now that we have a likable human with us?"

"The first thing you need to do is learn to stop calling her human." Starscream said, turning around to head back to his room that he shared with Thundercracker and Skywarp. "She's a youngling, Barricade. Other than that, you two should get along just fine." With that he was gone, leaving Barricade to wonder just how well Starscream knew the little human-youngling called Rae.

/---/

The sounds of small feet brought Barricade out of recharge that night. He was automatically sitting up, getting ready to bring his weapons to bear when Rae pushed the door open just a bit and slipped inside. She looked exhausted, but she was clearly fighting it. "Shouldn't you be recharging, runt?" he asked tiredly.

Rae shook her head. "I refuse. Megatron says I have to recharge with him unless I find somewhere else, and I can't find Starscream." She shivered. "I won't recharge in the same room as Megatron. He creeps me out."

"He's a slagging glitch-head." Barricade murmured. "Get over here, runt. May as well spare you the trauma." Rae grinned and plopped down next to the recharge berth. Barricade rolled his optics and picked her up, setting her down on his chest. "What? You think Harbinger came up with this idea all on his own? It helps younglings recharge better. Even the Autobots do it." Rae's grin turned into a smirk as she curled up on his chest, her eyes closing on their own accord.

"Thanks, 'Cade." she murmured. Barricade's optics widened as it dawned on him the language she had just used. The clicks and beeps of Cybertronian sounded just right coming from her, more natural than the human language. He sighed and went into recharge himself.

This was going to be interesting to say the least.

/---/

"Optimus!" Ironhide called the Autobot leader over to the computer bank. Prime looked a bit confused as he came to the weapon specialist's side. "We just intercepted a message from Megatron. It appears as if he's found some sort of key, and now he's organizing search parties to find a cube of sorts. He doesn't go into any detail, but he does make it clear that no one is to touch the cube if they find it. Strange, right?"

"The cube." Prime murmured. "Why is Megatron after the AllSpark?"

"The AllSpark is a myth." Bumblebee pointed out. "Besides, it wouldn't be of any use to him. Only a Neutral mech can use it."

"So he's found himself a Neutral." Jazz pointed out. "Wonder who it is?"

No one noticed how Bumblebee went suddenly quiet after Jazz's observation. There was only one Neutral Bumblebee knew of, and he sincerely hoped that Megatron had not found Case. Bumblebee and Barricade had gone to great lengths to keep their brother hidden from everyone else. Not even Prime knew of his warrior's attachment to not only a Decepticon but a Neutral as well. If Megatron had Case –

But no, Bumblebee knew he didn't. Barricade would have contacted him by now if he did.

"In any case," Prime's deep voice drew Bumblebee from his thoughts, "we need to stop them. Disrupt their search any way possible. I don't want there to be any chance that Megatron has found the AllSpark. Ironhide, get everyone ready. We'll attack the base in a week's time."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Rae was given free reign of the base, as long as she stayed within sight of the Decepticons. Megatron saw no need to annoy the girl or make her feel like a prisoner. If they treated her the right way, she wouldn't resist when he asked her to work the AllSpark for him. It would be a tradeoff of sorts, or so he thought in his mind. Of course, Starscream said he was being an idiot. It would have been different if they had rescued Rae from danger, but kidnapping her the way they did was not the best way to win her trust. Most of the Decepticons knew it, but Megatron refused to acknowledge it.

Right now, all that was very far from Rae's mind. She was entertaining herself watching the Seekers train. Or whatever passed as training for them. It was nothing like she'd ever seen.

"Come on, Skywarp!" Starscream shouted. "You've got to keep to formation. Otherwise you're a sitting duck for the Autobots!"

Skywarp gave the jet equivalent of a shrug and slid back into place. "Three seconds, Thundercracker." he quipped. "I think that's a record."

"Yeah." the other jet agreed. "It's just getting harder and harder to get anything past him."

"Will you two slaggers shut up and concentrate? Megatron will be coming by any minute."

"And we'll instantly become good little mechs." Skywarp said sourly. "Calm down before you blow a fuse."

"Me blow a fuse? You're wishing, glitch-head!" Despite the sour words, Rae sensed a good-natured fight brewing. Sure enough, Skywarp took the bait, as did Thundercracker. Soon it wouldn't have mattered if Megatron showed up for inspection or not – they wouldn't have cared. They were having fun pretending to beat each other up and throwing insults at each other. Rae's eyes widened as she heard some of the language being thrown around.

"Enjoying the show?" Barricade asked, coming to stand beside Rae. She nodded.

"I think I'm learning more curse words now than I would with Sheol and Greystreak." she commented dryly. "Then again, they've stopped fighting now. Those two could turn the air blue with their language." Barricade laughed.

"Those three can make it black." he joked. Rae chuckled.

"I see I didn't permanently damage Thundercracker's optic." she said dryly. "Pity, that." Barricade almost exploded in laughter as Thundercracker shot her a filthy look. "What? Don't give me that look – you were the one who was trying to kidnap me! I had every right to hit you like that."

"You hit me in the optic with a pinecone." Thundercracker growled.

Skywarp laughed. "She's got slagging good aim too."

"Oh mute it."

"All three of you mute it." Rae hissed suddenly, moving back to stand behind Barricade. "Megatron's coming." Instantly everyone got into position and pretended like the friendly little squabble had never happened. Starscream resumed drilling his brothers, and this time they actually listened to him. The change was amazing.

When Megatron entered the large training area they had set up, he wasn't any the wiser. "Where's the human, Barricade?" he demanded, ignoring the Seekers after a cursory glance in their direction. "I need to speak with her."

"She's only been here a few days, Megatron." Barricade protested. "Give her some time to adjust before you go making demands of her."

"I don't care." Megatron hissed. "She's spent the past three days with you, following you around like a lost pet. Have you gotten fond of the fleshling, Barricade? You should know you can't keep her. I'm going to kill her as soon as I get what I want from her anyway; it's not a good idea to get attached."

Rae stiffened. She had figured that would be the plan, but part of her had hoped that the others would find her before it got this far. It seemed that Megatron was losing patience. Barricade simply shook his head.

"I'm well aware of what your plans are." he said simply. "I still don't know where Rae is. Try with Soundwave; I know he was planning to talk to her." With a curt nod Megatron stalked off. Rae cautiously moved away from Barricade, making sure Megatron was well out of auditory range when she spoke.

"Soundwave wanted me?" she whispered.

Starscream landed next to her and nodded. "Yeah. But we wouldn't let that glitch near you. He's worse than Harbinger, if only because of his mind-reading power. It's not pleasant either. It would probably kill a human." Rae shuddered.

"Actually, I'm surprised that he survived." Skywarp commented. "That Neutral did a number on him."

_That_ got Barricade's attention. "Neutral?"

"Yeah. Some Neutral mech they had with them put a dagger through Soundwave's CPU. It was all the medic could do to keep him alive."

Barricade was stunned. There was only one Neutral that he knew of, and that was Case – his brother. It seemed that more than one dangerous mech had taken a liking to the human-youngling. He looked down at Rae, who was still hiding behind his leg, and let out the equivalent of a sigh. Silently, he opened up communications with Starscream.

"_Remember what you said about doing something that would get you killed?"_ he asked. The Seeker gave him an odd look.

"_Yeah. What of it?"_

"_I think I'm going to have to join you when you finally do it."_

/---/

There were three other mechs on the base along with Prime's trusted team – Prowl, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe. With the tension in the air thick enough to cut, considering the attack on the Decepticon base that was coming up, the twins and Jazz decided to have a little – fun, so to speak.

Much to the mingled dismay and amusement of everyone else on the base.

Ironhide was standing just behind Jazz, keeping an eye on him as he checked his weapons. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were next in line; Bumblebee was on the other side of Jazz putting his weapons back where they belonged. No one was expecting the song that started playing from Jazz's speakers, or for the twins to start singing along.

_I'm bringing sexy back / them other boys don't know how to act!_

Ironhide promptly slapped all three of them in the back of the heads. Bumblebee was outright laughing, and Prowl and Optimus simply shook their heads.

"Well," Prow commented. "At least we know they're all right with everything."

"Indeed." Prime said dryly. "Anytime they can torment Ironhide is a good time for them." With that he rolled his optics and left the room. Prowl chuckled and followed him.

/---/

AN: Obviously, the song is not mine. It is Justin Timberlake's. Oh, and any information you have about Prowl and the twins, please let me know. I could use it here. All I know about them comes from other fanfictions.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

It was time, Optimus Prime knew.

Everything was set. They had the location of the Decepticon base as well as all the information they could find on the AllSpark and possible Neutrals for Megatron to use to control it. They had all the information they would need. Ironhide had drilled and checked everyone over for fitness in battle. Not one mech had failed his tests.

Now they were in formation, a semi truck at the front, a Solstice to his left, a GMC Topkick to his right. Behind him were twin Lamborghinis, behind them a yellow Camero and a grey Datsun, and bringing up the rear was a rescue Hummer. They flew down the deserted highway with no regard to the speed limit, not really caring who caught them. Chances were any cop who tried to stop them would be a Decepticon. Bonecrusher was the most likely candidate.

They encountered no one.

The trip was supposed to have been made in silence, but as far as Jazz, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe were concerned, there was no such thing as silence. Much to Ironhide's annoyance.

"_Do you think that the Seekers will be there?" _Sunstreaker asked over the comm. link. Jazz laughed outright at that.

"_Of course. Do you really think Megatron would be here without them? They're the only reason he's still alive!"_

"_We call dibs on the vultures then!"_ Sideswipe said cheerfully. Jazz would have shaken his head if he had been in his mech form. As it was, he could only sigh in exasperation over the comm. link.

Ironhide patched through to Optimus's personal mike. _"Is there any way to shut those three up?"_

Opitmus chuckled at that. _"Not that I'm aware of, Ironhide. We'll just have to suffer with them a while longer."_

"_I can always disable their vocal processors when we get back."_ Ratchet offered. _"They're beginning to give me a headache."_

That brought a few protests from the offending mechs, although it didn't stop them from chattering away nonstop. Ratchet sighed. It was going to be a long drive.

/---/

Megatron knew they were coming.

It would only be a matter of time after they drew attention to themselves attacking the Neutral base. He doubted Prime knew about their little human or the secret of the AllSpark that he had spent his life trying to find. Every attack, every mission had been an attempt to discover a way to end the war. By whatever means necessary.

He had found his answer in the AllSpark, and the power it was said to have. A very old mech had told him the secret, and afterwards Megatron had killed her to cover his tracks. It was sad but he felt no pity. The information was too valuable to fall into Prime's hands.

Now he just had to decide what to do with Rae during the attack. He doubted she would go to the Autobots with her contempt of Prime, but she would choose the time to make a break for it. Chances were she would try to go back to Veris and whoever else took care of her at the Neutral base. He simply could not allow his only chance at winning this war to escape before he even found the AllSpark.

He motioned for Soundwave to come to his side. "Yes, Lord Megatron?"

"I want you to watch the human girl during the attack." he said. "Your CPU has been adequetly repaired, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then use your power to get any relevant information out of her about her little 'family'. The last thing I need is a surprise when we finally find the AllSpark."

Soundwave smirked. "As you wish, my lord."

Standing a safe distance away, Starscream and Barricade exchanged looks. "Do we know where Rae is?" Starscream hissed.

Barricade shook his head. "No. But I hope we find her before Soundwave does."

/---/

AN: Yeah, it's short, but the next two chapters will be longer. The battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, and the outcome as it pertains to Rae!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Soundwave had her effectively pinned, Rae had to admit. There really was nothing she could do at the moment. Soundwave had gone to great lengths to make sure she couldn't move – the metal straps holding her arms and legs in place against the equally metal slab was telling of his determination. It scared her more than anything she had ever come across during her time with the Decepticons. She knew exactly what he wanted to do, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. Harbinger wasn't there to protect her. There was no one.

Her eyes locked on to Soundwave's optics, silently pleading with him to spare her. Soundwave simply shook his head. "I can't, little human, even if I wanted to." he said. "Megatron ordered me to find out all I could about your family, and quite frankly, I'm looking forward to seeing how well your frail human body holds up to my probing powers." He placed a hand on her head. "Now, don't fight me. It will hurt worse if you do."

A sudden lancing pain shot through her skull, and Rae screamed aloud. It was as if fire was being poured into her mind, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. The pressure was building, and all she could do was scream and let the pain wash over her. She didn't even know if Soundwave was getting the information he wanted, and quite frankly, she didn't care. Even if he did learn something, there wasn't a pit-spawned thing Rae could do about it, and the others would understand that. She hoped they would, anyway.

Soundwave watched as the human strained against the restraints, her screams getting fainter and fainter as her body shut down in self-defense. It was taking a while, longer than he would have thought, considering the fragile nature of the organics. He wasn't even truly trying to find anything. Megatron could go to pit, as far as Soundwave was concerned. It had been a long time since the mech had gotten the chance to torture anything.

It was right as Rae passed out that all hell broke loose.

/---/

The Autobots had found strategic locations all around the base to attack from. Only Prime would go through the front door, so to speak. The others would attack from all the corners, including entrances and exits. There weren't too many, only three ways out of the massive building. Jazz, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe covered one exit; Ironhide, Prowl, and Ratchet took the other. Optimus got the front entrance all to himself. No one really thought he'd be in any danger.

Megatron was the one to meet him at the front door. The two brothers wasted no time with pleasantries. The attack was immediate, taking the two outside of the base. None of the Decepticons tried to help their leader. Megatron would have killed them if they did. He was determined – Optimus would be his and his alone to kill.

/---/

Starscream and Barricade found Rae easily enough – unfortunately she wasn't in the best of positions for rescue. They arrived in time to see her body go limp and her mind shut down against Soundwave's probe. Barricade instantly went to the girl, attempting to override the computer program that held the clamps over the girl's body. Starscream didn't waste any time – he went straight to Soundwave and charged the mech, knocking him to the ground and therefore away from Rae, breaking his concentration. The mental probe deactivated as soon as Soundwave was forced to focus on the fight.

With a hiss, the clamps came free. Barricade gathered the small girl into his arms, thinking just how much like a youngling she was. Even unconscious she had automatically snuggled up closer to Barricade's chest plates, seeking the warmth of his spark.

"Starscream!" he shouted. "We need to get out of here. The Autobots are attacking!"

"Great." the Seeker grunted. "Just what we need. An invasion as well as a betrayal." With that, he drove his fist through Soundwave's chest, shattering his spark chamber. "I wanna watch the medic try and fix that." He turned to Barricade. "Give Rae to me. No one needs to know you were involved. I'll see if I can get out past the Autobot scum. The Neutrals will want their youngling back."

Barricade nodded and reluctantly handed over the girl. "Take good care of her, Starscream." he said. "I've gotten rather fond of that one." Starscream laughed and ran from the room and down the hall, towards the faintest sounds of fighting. Hopefully that's where the fewest Autobots would be.

He hoped, anyways.

/---/

Ironhide and Jazz wound up fighting side-by-side, trying to fend off Thundercracker and Skywarp. The Seekers had a slight advantage over them, being able to fly and hide in the high ceilings. Jazz also had quite a range on his cannon, and Ironhide was just plain fragged off. Not a good combination, to be sure.

Jazz contacted Ironhide over the comm. link. _"Starscream is coming our way."_

"_Slag it. You think he's trying to help the other Seekers?"_

" _. . . No. He's coming too fast. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was trying to make a break for it."_

Ironhide blinked in confusion. _"Well, that's just plain odd."_ The conversation was cut short by a few missiles fired from Thundercracker. The two Autobots had to jump to either side of the hallway to avoid the blasts.

Starscream chose that moment to come barreling through.

/---/

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe barged into the relatively small room, followed closely by Prowl and Ratchet. Guns were drawn, ready for a fight. Sunstreaker's aim went immediately for the more dangerous of the two, and he stopped cold. Everyone stared in shock.

Soundwave was lying on the ground, clearly dead. There was a gaping hole in his chest along with the shattered remains of his spark casing. There was simply no way any mech could have survived that.

Sitting near the body was Barricade, calmly staring at the Autobots as if he knew exactly what they were there for. The Decepticon police cruiser sighed and stood up to his full height, making the others instinctively back away. "Please. I really don't want to fight right now." the Decepticon sighed again. "No doubt you already know what we're after. If you're quick, you might get the one person who can control it."

The twins exchanged suspicious looks. Why would a Decepticon be telling them this, betraying his own people? It just didn't make any sense! Barricade laughed at the looks of confusion and doubt on the Autobots' faces. "Look, I don't expect you to believe me. But I do expect you to follow what I say for now.

"When you find Starscream, you can't kill him. She'll never trust you if you do."

There was a dead silence in the room. Prowl was the one to break it.

"What the pit are you talking about?!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Ironhide immediately lunged for Starscream, grabbing the mech by his left arm and spinning him around so his back was to Ironhide's chest. It wasn't exactly the most effective shield, Ironhide thought sourly; after all, how many mechs would actually think twice about killing a little glitch like Starscream?

So he was pretty surprised when the firing suddenly stopped. Ironhide looked out from behind the Decepticon Seeker and chuckled darkly. "So they do care about you, Screamer." he teased. "How sweet."

"Of course." Starscream shot back, his natural sarcasm taking over. "You're looking at the future leader of the Decepticons. Why would they kill me?"

"Holy Primus! Ironhide, he's got a human with him!"

Jazz's shocked exclamation drew Ironhide's attention to Starscream's right arm. Cradled in the crook of said arm, and pressed securely up against his chest plates, was an unconscious human female. It was Ironhide's turn to swear.

"Pit-spawned psychopath, what the slag is wrong with you?!" he snarled, tightening his grip on the mech's arm. "Jazz, take the female. We'll get her to Ratchet and he can check her over." Jazz nodded and took a step forward. Instantly the other two Seekers were standing in front of him.

"Sorry, we can't let you take her." Thundercracker said simply.

"Yeah, Rae's ours." Skywarp pointed out. "You can't take our youngling."

"Let him take her." The Seekers turned to stare at their leader in shock. "Megatron gave her to Soundwave, guys. She's not safe here anymore." The other two scowled, their optics darkening in rage. Calmly, they stepped aside, allowing Jazz to retrieve the human girl from Starscream's arms. Surprisingly, the Decepticon allowed him to take her. Jazz backed away quickly, opening up communications with Ratchet.

"_Ratch? We got a problem over here."_

"_All right, which one of you glitch-heads got your afts handed to you?"_

"_Neither of us. We've got a human female who's been tortured by Soundwave. We need to know where you are so we can get her to you."_

There was a very long pause on the other end of the comm.. _"Jazz, is Starscream with you?"_

"_Yes. He was the one who had the girl."_

"_We have intelligence that it may not be the best idea in the world to kill him. What do you think?"_

Jazz rolled his optics in annoyance. _"I think that I don't care so long as we get this female out of here. She's hurt bad, Ratchet!"_

"_All right. Get her out of the base and radio us your coordinates. I'll be there as soon as I can."_

Jazz didn't bother responding. "Let's go, Ironhide. Ratchet gave us the ok to get out of here." Ironhide nodded and threw Starscream down the hallway. At the Decepticon's indignant look, he chuckled.

"Gotta make it look like you put up a fight."

/---/

Ratchet glared at Barricade. "You have three minutes to explain to us just what the pit we've gotten ourselves into." he growled.

Barricade sighed. "You know Megatron is looking for the AllSpark. Why? I don't know. It's not like there's anything wrong with our Creation Matrix." He shook his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts. "Rae is the key to controlling the AllSpark."

Prowl stirred. "Who's Rae?"

Barricade shot him a sardonic look. "The human female Soundwave tortured. Starscream was the one to kill him. Pity. I wanted the honor." He glared at the mangled corpse of the Decepticon on the ground. "You should go now. I need to at least pretend like I'm fighting, and I really don't want to do it against you. That would only slow you down."

"Why do you care?" Sunstreaker snipped.

"He's a medic, right?" Barricade pointed at Ratchet. "He needs to take care of Rae."

"Let's get out of here before he changes his mind." Sideswipe murmured. Prowl and Ratchet nodded agreement and started to back out of the room. Sunstreaker remained for a few minutes. "Sunny, come on!"

Sunstreaker growled and finally backed away. "Do you think we can trust him?"

"Not really." Prowl muttered. "Still, even if he does decide to attack us, it's four against one. He really doesn't stand much of a chance." Sunny nodded understanding and fell back in formation beside his brother. Sides shot him a wicked smirk, and Sunny returned it in full.

No law that said they couldn't have some fun on their way out.

/---/

Optimus met Jazz and Ironhide on their way out. He was already back in his alt mode, engine revving in impatience for them to hurry up. Jazz skid to a halt beside his leader, panting a bit as his systems struggled to cool back down. "Optimus, open your cab."

"What's going on?" Optimus queried, opening the door despite his doubts. "Ratchet said you ran into some problems and we needed to withdraw, but he wouldn't go into detail."

"Probably because none of us have a pit-slagging clue what's going on either." Ironhide said dryly. "Get her in, Jazz. We really need to get out of here." Jazz nodded and gently placed Rae on Optimus's drivers seat. The Autobot leader stiffened in shock.

"Why, exactly, do we have a human female?"

"Because said human female was a Decepticon prisoner." Ironhide bit out. "As far as we can tell."

"More accurately, she was living with them." Ratchet said dryly, leading the others to where Optimus was waiting a fair distance away from the Decepticon base. "We'll learn more when she wakes up, but for now let's get her to the base. I'll check her over and make sure Soundwave didn't do serious damage."

Optimus would have nodded, but he settled for revving his engine in agreement. "Along the way, you will fill me in, right?"

Ratchet smirked as he transformed into his alt mode. "Right."

None of them noticed the experimental aircraft that was making passes overhead. They didn't notice when it flew off after watching the direction the Autobots took.

West, Case noticed with some concern. They were headed west, probably to the opposite side of the city. More importantly, they were taking an unconscious Rae with them. He opened communications with Veris.

"_She's with the Autobots now."_

"_Is she all right?"_

"_No way to tell. I think Soundwave got a hold of her. Knowing Starscream, he's probably dead by now."_

There was a pause, and then some amount of cursing. _"Track them, Case. I want to know where their base is. We will get Rae back."_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

As Ratchet kept the girl under observation, Jazz and Ironhide discussed things with Prowl. Jazz was leaning against Prowl's leg; Ironhide sitting on the other side of the narrow room across from them. Ironhide thumped his fist on the ground in frustration. "So Megatron deliberately kidnapped the girl?" he demanded.

"It seems that way." Prowl said evenly. "We didn't get much from Barricade, but what we did indicated that the girl was important in some way to Megatron."

Jazz made a sound of disbelief. "In _some_ way? Prowl, Barricade said that she was the key to controlling the AllSpark. I don't think that's as vague as _some way._"

"Smart-aft."

He smirked. "I try."

Ironhide rolled his optics. "Still, Optimus has got to be as confused by all of this as we are." he commented. "I mean, how can a human control a piece of Cybertronian technology? It's not possible. The size of the AllSpark alone would prevent her from making the necessary contact to connect to it."

"Not to mention she doesn't have any of the necessary wires and such to make that connection." Prowl pointed out. "So either Megatron knows something about the AllSpark that we don't, or there's more to that girl than we know."

Jazz shook his head. "I don't get it though. No matter what we learn about her, she's still human. She simply cannot connect with the AllSpark. It's impossible."

A shrill, ear-piercing scream interrupted the conversation. In a flash all three warriors were on their feet and racing for the small area of their makeshift base that Ratchet had claimed as his. Ironhide was the first into the room, cannons drawn and ready for whatever it was in there.

There was a light impact on his shins, and as he glanced down he realized what the source of the scream was. Cursing quietly, he put his cannons away. His sudden appearance probably hadn't helped calm the little human now hiding behind his legs. Although he had to admit, it was a comical sight. "All right, Ratchet, what did you do to the girl?" he teased.

"I don't know." the medic growled, trying to find a way to get a scan on the girl without actually approaching her. "She was starting to wake up, so I came over to get a scan and see if she was fully recovered. She saw me and freaked."

"Oh, come on, Ratch." Jazz teased, his optics bright with the chance to harass the medic. "We all know you ugly, but I didn't know you'd even scare a human."

"Do you want me to wield your aft to the ceiling?"

"You're name is Ratchet?" They all looked down at the girl now starting to peek out from behind Ironhide's leg. She was a bit reluctant to leave the safety of the weapons specialist, but at least she was out in the open now. Ratchet quickly got his scan before the girl could decide to hide again. He nodded.

"That is my designation." he confirmed. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"That means I'm not at the Decepticon base any more." she muttered to herself. Looking up, she flashed an embarrassed smile at the medic. "Sorry about that. For a moment there, I thought you were Soundwave."

"Understandable." Ratchet said with a nod. "Considering you were unconscious the entire trip here, I should have realized you would be a bit disoriented when you woke up. That was my mistake." He finished reading over his scans and sighed. "There seems to be no permanent damage from Soundwave's handling of you. You're lucky, human. Not many escape Soundwave's wrath like that."

"My designation is Rae, not human." the teenager pointed out dryly. "And I'm lucky Starscream and Barricade found me when they did. Megatron is going to kill them when he realizes what they did."

"Don't go getting too attached, Rae." Jazz warned. "They are Decepticons, after all. We still don't know what they were doing."

"They were protecting me." Rae shot back. "And that slag about 'they're Decepticons, they must be evil' is just plain wrong. You should know that." The mechs all exchanged looks.

"Just how long were you with the Decepticons, anyway?" Ironhide asked, a feeling of sympathy starting to come over him. He could barely handle the Decepticons during battle, and that was when he got to blast them all to pit. He couldn't imagine having to stay with them and not be able to defend himself. The girl may have developed a few relationships just to keep herself sane.

"Not long." Rae said. "A week, tops. But I've known Starscream all my life."

Well, there shot that idea.

"Is the human female awake?" Optimus walked towards them, his optics fixed on the teenager still clinging to Ironhide's leg. "Now that's an odd sight. Ironhide, I think you've made a friend." The weapons specialist made a snorting noise, but didn't bother correcting his leader. There was something odd about the way the girl was acting, and it wasn't the fact that she was defending Starscream. She really just wasn't acting like a human adolescent. In fact, she was acting more –

More like a youngling.

"Optimus, she seems to be in perfect health." Ratchet reported. Optimus gave him a look.

"Seems to be?"

"She's defending the Decepticons."

Rae rolled her eyes. "Not all of them. Just Starscream and Barricade. They were nice to me." Prime knelt down so he was on her level. Rae backed away until she was pressed against Ironhide's leg. There was a small amount of fear in her eyes, but even more defiance. Prime wasn't intimidating her at all.

Good. He really hadn't wanted to scare her.

"Rae." he said quietly. "We have never known Starscream or Barricade to show any kind of mercy. They have been our bitter enemies since the war began. Do you understand why we find this strange?"

Rae studied him for a moment. Finally, she bowed her head in a display of resignation. "I have a story to tell, I see. But I would like for it to wait. I'm tired and hungry."

Prime nodded slowly. "What do you eat?"

"That depends. Mostly I hunt." She shrugged. "Sometimes I'll go looking through Dumpsters, but I haven't done that in ages."

Prime studied her for a moment, then straightened up and looked Prowl in the eye. "Has Bumblebee made contact with our human ally?"

"Yes, Optimus."

"Tell him when he comes in, he needs to bring some food with him." Prowl nodded and headed off to find Bumblebee. Prime turned to Ironhide. "Show her where she can rest." he said quietly. Ironhide nodded.

"Come on, youngling." he said, picking her up and cradling her to his chest. "Let's get some recharge, huh?"

Rae nodded, leaning against him and closing her eyes. "Sure."

/---/

AN: Oh, I feel the need to tell you that while this story is supposed to be humorous, my version of humor is sarcasm. Be on the lookout for it. (grins)


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"So, Bumblebee tells me you have a teenager with you?" the human army captain William Lennox smiled up at the massive mechs that he had become friends with on their first trip here when scouting out the planet. Slung across one shoulder was a rifle, always handy when hanging around hunted robot aliens. In the other hand was a paper bag from MacDonald's. Optimus Prime nodded to the man.

"You should see her in a bit." he said quietly. "I believe she has just come out of recharge."

"Woken up." Lennox corrected him. "If you're planning on living here, it might be wise to learn the slang."

Ironhide simply rolled his optics and glanced behind him. Rae was coming from his room now, rubbing at her eyes in an attempt to clear the sleep from them. He was curious to see how she would react to Lennox. If he was right, she hadn't had any human contact in quite a long time. She may not know how to act around another human. She may not even care.

Rae made it a few feet past Ironhide before it registered to her that there was another person in the room. Her eyes did a quick sweep, taking note of Jazz and the twins in one corner of the room, Prowl, Ratchet, and Prime across the room from her, and Ironhide right behind her. She took a step back as her eyes finally landed on Lennox, who was still dressed in his fatigues.

"You must be their new visitor." Lennox said with a smile. "I brought you some food, in case you're hungry."

For a long moment, no one spoke. It suddenly registered to Ironhide that Rae was trembling. Jazz looked over from his place, and alarm crossed his face. "Primus, little one, what's wrong? You'd think you'd seen a ghost."

Lennox took a step forward, concern on his face. He couldn't get much further before Rae completely lost it.

"GET THE PIT AWAY FROM ME!"

Ironhide quickly picked the panicking girl up off the ground and set her on his shoulder. "Rae, calm down." he said quietly. "This is Lennox, he's an ally of ours. He won't hurt you, I promise."

"He's a pit-spawned glitching hunk of scrap metal!" she hissed, her voice seething in anger and fear. "He's military! That's worse than the cops!" She maneuvered herself so she was hanging down his back, holding on to his shoulder plating to keep herself from falling off. Her eyes were narrowed on Lennox, unwilling to let him out of her sight. The initial anger spent, her fear was starting to take over. "I'm scared, Ironhide. They all scare me."

"Then you just stay right there until he leaves." Ironhide said soothingly. "You don't have to go anywhere near him." Rae nodded and pressed her face against his shoulder, her body still trembling violently. Prime shot him a look.

"What on Cybertron was that?" he demanded, changing back to his native language. Ironhide shook his head.

"I don't know." he admitted, responding in the same language. "Apparently military humans scare her. I don't think she'd bee too willing to explain why right now."

"Keep her calm until Lennox leaves." Prime instructed. "I want to talk to him about finding her a place to live."

Ironhide nodded shortly. "Don't need to tell me to do my job." he muttered. "Taking care of younglings is what I do best."

Prime went back to talking with Lennox. "Forgive her reaction, Captain." he said, this time in English. "Rae has been through a traumatic experience. I'm afraid it's made her a bit jumpy." Lennox nodded.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Could you find her a place to stay until we can locate her parents?" Prime asked. "It might be best for her to remove herself from the creatures that hurt her."

Now Rae was pulling herself up a bit higher onto Ironhide's shoulder, her narrowed gaze shifting from Lennox to Prime. "Prime, you put me back with humans, and I'll find my way back here." she said calmly. "I have not lived with them for eight years. There's no way I can go back now."

Jazz took a step forward. "So who have you been living with?" he asked. "Not that I couldn't tell you anyway – you act like a youngling."

"I am a youngling, Jazz." Rae said tiredly. "It all ties back to my story – how I wound up with the Decepticons and why I know Starscream well enough to call him my friend."

Prime turned to her, placing his full attention on the small human-youngling. "Then it's time you told us." he said softly. "All of it."

"You won't like all of it." she said bluntly. "I know things about you that you'd probably rather stay hidden."

"I'll take that risk."

A sigh. "All right. But I did warn you."

/---/

It had been two days since Rae had been taken to the Autobot base. Veris had to admit, he was worried. Prime was a very persuasive character, but the one thing the mech never had in great abundance was patience. He wasn't too worried about Prime persuading the girl to stay with them – Rae was fiercely loyal to her family. He was more worried about what would happen when the girl defied Prime once too often.

Harbinger walked up and sat down beside Veris, still holding on to Devastator's left arm. "I wouldn't worry so much if I was you." he said simply. "Prime isn't the kind to harm a youngling."

"You've enver seen Prime lose his temper before." Veris shot back. "He's a lot of things, but patient is not one of them." Harbinger shrugged, tossing his prize up in the air and catching it on the way down.

"Still, Rae's smart. She'll find a way to let us know she's all right – and when we can come and get her."

Veris shot him a look. "The pit do you still have that thing?" he demanded.

Harbinger turned to him, his optics darkened in pain. "Long-overdue payback." he said simply. "If I could, I would have taken his head."

"Devastator was responsible for Frenzy's death, wasn't he?"

"Yes."

Veris sighed. "I know what you're going to do. Just know that I won't hold it against you. None of us will."

Harbinger nodded. "Come on inside and get some recharge. Tomorrow we start spying."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Rae had finally calmed down enough to eat the cheeseburgers Lennox had brought her. She peeled apart the buns, took off the lettuce and tomatoes, and just ate the meat and cheese. Lennox was giving her his patented 'the heck are you doing?' look of pure disgust. "You do realize you're supposed to eat everything, not just the meat?"

"If you're going to insist that I eat fast food, I'm at least going to eat the best part." Rae retorted around a mouthful of hamburger. "I haven't eaten this slag since I started living at the base."

"The Decepticon base?" Jazz asked. The silver mech was sitting just behind Rae, letting the girl sit on his leg. Ironhide was right beside him, unwilling to let the girl out of his sight for long. Optimus thought it made for an amusing sight. His two most hardened warriors were the first ones to take to the girl. Rae shook her head and swallowed.

"No." she said softly. "There are Decepticons there, but not like what you think. Everyone who lives at the base is an exile. Veris is our leader, so to speak." Here her eyes locked on to Prime. "I'm surprised you never knew. You're previous second-in-command has been on Earth for a good long time, long before even the Decepticons arrived."

"Why was Veris exiled?" Jazz wondered. "I knew him by name, but I never got a chance to know him. He seemed like a decent mech."

"Mutiny." Ironhide answered. "Sympathizing with the enemy."

"Ensuring that Prime didn't kill his brother." Rae retorted. "Can't blame a mech for doing what he thinks is right. Silver was the one who brought me to the base, but Harbinger was the one to raise me. He's my guardian, so to speak."

"Ok," Sunny said, holding up a hand to stop her. "Who are the Decepticons in your little group?"

"Harbinger, Bracket, and Sheol."

"And the Autobots?"

"Veris, Silver, and Greystreak." Rae said with a roll of her eyes. "That's not counting Case, our medic. He's a Neutral." She closed her eyes for a moment. "They've all taken good care of me. When we were attacked by the Decepticons, I knew exactly what to do. Harbinger helped me get away from Devastator. From what Starscream told me, it'll be a while before their medic is able to create a new arm for him. I had to fend off the Seekers on my own. Unfortunately I didn't do any lasting damage to Thundercracker."

Suddenly Prowl started to laugh. "So _you're_ the one who took his optic out!" he said with a look of pride. "I was wondering who Skywarp was teasing him about."

"Odd bunch of mechs, aren't they?" Rae commented. "Either way, they would have come for me if you guys hadn't attacked the Decepticons. I'm pretty sure they were keeping an eye on me. Not that Starscream would let them hurt me."

"Why would Starscream risk his position for a human?" Sunny wondered. Rae snorted.

"You guys really don't know, do you?" she said in amazement. She paused for a moment, seeming to debate something in her mind. "Don't ask me about that." she said finally. "It's not my place to tell you."

"If it's a weakness of the Decepticons – " Sides began.

"It is." Rae cut him off. "One that could very well endanger Starscream and several others I happen to be fond of. I wouldn't tell my family about a weakness that could get Ironhide and Jazz killed, so don't ask me to do it."

Lennox exchanged looks with the others. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of this teenager. He had learned from Bumblebee that younglings were highly valued on both sides of the war, so that might explain why Rae was so comfortable with just about any mech. What it didn't explain is why she had freaked out when she saw him, but he was willing to let that slide. There were a lot of people who simply didn't trust the military, or anyone else in uniform.

At that moment, Bumblebee entered the room. He had heard everything, including her passing comment about Case, and for that he thanked Primus for protecting his brother. At last the Neutral had a place where he could live in peace. Briefly he wondered if the medic had turned out anything like Ratchet, but let the thought slide. There was nothing he could ask Rae right now that wouldn't reveal his secret to everyone. So instead he delivered the news he had just discovered.

"Optimus – Decepticon Seekers reporting that they've located the AllSpark. We need to head out."

Prime nodded. "Ironhide, Jazz – I want you to keep a close eye on Rae." He still wasn't too comfortable calling her a youngling. She hadn't told them enough of her story, not a word about where she had lived before Silver had taken her in, or how they had raised her. She was not fit for battle training because she had no armor – how did they compensate for it if they raised her in such a way that even Megatron recognized her as one of their own?

He was afraid as well, even though he would never show it. He knew vaguely of Harbinger and the others, and he knew Veris all too well. The ex-Autobot was notoriously unpredictable, and once he got it in his head to protect someone, not even Primus himself could stop him. If Rae was the one he chose to protect, Prime feared what he would do to his soldiers before he could stop Veris.

Ironhide and Jazz nodded. "Not a problem." Ironhide said. "The Decepticons will never take us down."

Rae smiled softly. "It's not the Decepticons you should be concerned about." she warned. "Whatever you do, don't attack Veris. Harbinger will kill you."

"Do you really think a Decepticon can take Prime down?" Ratchet asked, speaking the first words he had all evening.

Rae didn't even blink. "Yes. That Decepticon can and will."

"We'll deal with that later." Prime instructed. "Get some recharge, all of you. We head out in the morning."

/---/

AN: Next up – odd humor and the Neutrals move out!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

That night Ironhide kept Rae with him when they went into recharge. There were more questions he wanted to ask the youngling in his care, and with Prime no where near his room, he figured she might open up a bit more than she had earlier. Ironhide was stretched out on his recharge berth, Rae curled up on the weapon specialist's chest. One massive hand covered her like a blanket, providing the warmth her body needed. "Rae," he asked quietly, "how did they train you? You don't have the protective covering that most younglings have."

Rae shook her head. "Nah. It was a game, really. I learned how to throw really high and where to aim. Where to hide. I didn't realize until the attack that all those games I played with Bracket and the others were training." She sighed and relaxed against his chest, her eyes fluttering closed. Still, she didn't fall asleep. "You know, even Barricade did this. I thought it was just something Harbinger came up with."

Ironhide chuckled. "Hardly. It's one of the few areas that Decepticons and Autobots agree on – the best way to get a youngling into recharge is to put it where its warmest. Usually on another mech's chest." Rae chuckled. "Tell me more about your family. I have a feeling we're going to encounter them before its all over, and I rather not do anything that's going to get you hurt."

The girl stiffened. "I'd be more worried about getting yourself hurt." she warned quietly. "I wasn't kidding when I said that Harbinger could kill Prime. He's loyal to Veris, and he'll protect all of us no matter the cost – especially me. Bracket may be small, but he's deadly when he wants to be. Sheol and Greystreak may never stop fighting, but at least they'll be fighting side-by-side when the time calls for it. Pit, even Silver has more than a few tricks up his armor. Case is the worst of them all, though. He's got connections to both the Autobots and the Decepticons, and he'll kill anyone who tries to hurt his brothers. Even if it means protecting them from themselves."

Ironhide frowned. "How is that possible?"

"You know that Prime and Megatron were Neutrals once, right?" The mech nodded. "Well, Case was one of three Neutrals. The other two chose sides – one Autobot, one Decepticon. Case stayed as he was and tried to protect the others. In the end, it meant him leaving Cybertron." Rae shrugged as best she could under her massive 'blanket'. "It seemed that no matter how many Neutrals the AllSpark created, they all chose sides. Except Case."

It explained a lot, but left a lot of questions at the same time. Now he knew why she was so comfortable with a trigger-happy mech like him, but couldn't stand being around Prime for too long. She had come to associate Optimus and Megatron with her friends' dark pasts, maybe even with her own to a degree. It was to be expected, just like every Autobot youngling grew up thinking of Megatron as the ultimate evil.

It didn't answer why Megatron would want her to work the AllSpark, not when he had access to another Neutral. There was something he was missing, maybe something about the artifact itself that might explain why a human would be a better candidate than a mech to operate it. He didn't even bring the question up. It was likely Rae didn't even know herself. She had just been trying to stay out of Megatron's way.

Sudden noise drew their attention. "What the pit is that?" Rae murmured. She slid from her perch on Ironhide's chest and peeked out the doorway

Jazz, Sunny, and Sides were dancing down the hall, in a rather odd fashion, and drawing the attention of every mech in the base. It was odd seeing what was obviously supposed to be a sexy dance coming from a robot that stood taller than some trees, and it was all Rae could do to hold her laughter in. Until she heard the song.

Then she lost it.

"_Dirty babe / you see these shackles / baby I'm your slave / I'll let you whip me if I misbehave / its just that no one makes me feel this way!"_

Rae exploded into laughter, falling to the floor in an effort to reign in her mirth. Ironhide simply pinched his nose plate in a display of exasperation.

It was going to be a long night.

/---/

It was an odd convoy that left the woods and worked its way through the vast city that night. A Pontiac GTO led the group, followed by a monster truck, a silver Ford Ranger pickup, a Chevy Trailblazer, and a Jeep. Up above them, a small experimental aircraft made wide loops around the group, keeping an eye on them and carrying a spider like mech in his cockpit.

So it wasn't surprising when a police cruiser and three F-22s joined the little group, but it was unexpected. Veris immediately opened up communications with the leader of the new band of Transformers. _"What's wrong, Starscream? You shouldn't be with us."_

"_I know."_ the Seeker replied. _"But things are getting desperate. Megatron has ordered us to move out in the morning. We've located the AllSpark, and now the Autobots know. No doubt they'll meet us there."_

"_And they'll bring Rae with them." _Bracket pointed out from Case's cockpit. _"But Bracket doubts she'll be without protection. Prime is not in the habit of needlessly sacrificing younglings."_

"_That's if he recognizes Rae as a youngling."_ Barricade pointed out.

"_In either case," _Skywarp said a little cheekily, _"we've come to lend a hand. We've gotten rather fond of the little youngling girl. Thought we might like to keep her around a little longer."_

"_What about the others in your little following?" _Silver asked.

"_They'll be meeting us there."_ Thundercracker said. _"They'll keep an eye out for her and try to keep the battle away from her."_

"_Sounds like a plan to me."_ Veris said decisively. _"Let's just get there so we can get her and get out."_

The rest of the trip was made in silence.

/---/

AN: Would more people please review this? I want at least three reviews before I'll update again, but five would make me update even faster.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

It was an unlucky fact that the AllSpark happened to be located on an abandoned military base just a few miles north of the city. Unlucky, because when the military says 'abandoned', what they mean is 'temporarily vacated, but still under surveillance'. It was a lucky fact that Lennox knew exactly where the surveillance cameras were, otherwise the Autobots would have had a devil of a time trying to get past the army forces that were usually stationed there. Lennox had left late that night to disable the cameras. Optimus had no way of telling if the cameras really were disabled, but he had no reason to doubt Lennox.

They stood in front of the base now, all of them back in their mech forms, staring at the rather large building. Rae was the first to speak. "I think it was supposed to be a hangar." she said simply. "It was an Air Force base before the Army got it. Which is probably why it's been 'abandoned', so to speak." There was the slightest hint of distaste in her voice, as if she would rather be anywhere but here, but knew she didn't have a choice. Ironhide gave her a small nudge, pushing her into a more secure position on his shoulder. Rae flashed him a smile.

Jazz simply stood there, one hand on his hip as he stared at the building in a quizzical manner. "How on Cybertron did those Decepticons find it in here?" he wondered. "My scans aren't showing anything."

"That's because you don't have the right scanner." Optimus murmured. "I can tell exactly where it is." None of his followers looked too surprised by this. Optimus had a knack for being able to sense things that none of the other mechs could. Rae stole a glance at Bumblebee. The yellow mech had a distracted look on his face, and Rae knew – he also could sense the AllSpark, as all Neutrals could.

As Rae could.

She didn't know why. Even though she no longer thought of herself as human, hadn't used that word to describe herself in eight years, she knew she didn't have the same sensory equipment as the mechs did. So why could she feel the presence of the AllSpark as a slight pressure in the back of her mind, telling her without a doubt exactly where it was? It was almost as if it was calling for her.

Rae jumped from her perch and landed safely on her feet, making Ironhide and Jazz nearly pass out in surprise. "Why must you do things like that?" Jazz demanded, bending a little to make sure she hadn't hurt herself. Rae smirked.

"Just to keep you on your toes." she teased. "Come on. You guys won't find the AllSpark if you just stand here and stare."

Prime gave her a look. "Are you offering to help?":

"Something like that."

But Rae knew what she had to do. She had to find the AllSpark before Prime did. Only Case could be trusted to keep the AllSpark safe and not abuse its powers. Case knew more about the artifact than anyone else, Rae was certain. If she could find the AllSpark, then not only would Case be able to locate her and get her out, but he would have direct access to the AllSpark.

It wasn't the brightest thing to do, defy both Megatron and Prime like this, but it was the only thing she could do. She could not let them get the artifact, and possibly destroy each other. Too many that she cared for would die in the process.

Sunny snickered. "All right, then, let's do it!" he teased, putting on his best Aussie accent.

Sides rolled his optics. "I'm destroying your Arnold movies. Seriously, what is wrong with you?"

"You don't like the Terminator movies?" Sunny demanded, sounding surprised. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I like Bond. You know that." Sides retorted.

"Will you two glitch-heads mute it and focus?" Prowl demanded, slapping them both in the back of the head. "We need to find that AllSpark."

Sides and Sunny exchanged looks and grinned.

"Then let's do it!" they said at the same time.

Prowl shook his head. "Hopeless."

"Incoming!" Jazz shouted suddenly. "Blackout, the Seekers, and Megatron, all from the sky!"

"Barricade leading some coming from the ground as well." Ratchet warned. "Whatever we do, we need to do it now!"

"Ironhide, take me into the building." Rae whispered, tugging on his finger. Ironhide gave her a shocked look.

"Why? If they drop bombs on the building, you'll be killed!"

"But they won't! They want the AllSpark as badly as you do, maybe more. They actually know what they're going to do with it. I can find it faster than they can." Her eyes were pleading. "Please, Ironhide! Trust me!"

Ironhide hesitated a moment, not sure what to do. Rae had just admitted to being able to sense the AllSpark, something he didn't think she had been planning to tell him just yet. There was a desperation in her voice. She knew something he didn't, something he probably wouldn't know about just yet until they were safely out of hearing range of Optimus. She didn't trust the Autobot leader enough to let him know.

Suddenly Jazz was by their sides. "I'll cover y'all." he said tensely. "Those Decepticons are getting awfully close, and I'd rather have a bargaining chip when they come to surround us."

The weapons specialist hesitated, then nodded. "Let's go." Jazz quickly picked Rae up and placed her on his shoulder, following the larger mech into the building. Ironhide quickly radioed their plan to Optimus. Needless to say, the leader was not pleased.

"_You couldn't have waited and explained this to me in person?"_ he demanded.

Ironhide shook his head even though Optimus wouldn't see it. _"There's no time. The Decepticons are here!"_

There was silence for a few moments, then: _"We'll hold them off. If you find the AllSpark, bring it back to me. Understand?"_

"_I didn't plan on doing anything else with it."_ With that Ironhide shut down communications with the Autobots. They had time, but not much. Jazz placed Rae back on the ground.

"All right, youngling – lead the way."

/---/

Optimus and the other Autobots were instantly engaged in battle as the forces Barricade led attacked. To Prime's surprise, Barricade himself did not stick around to fight against the Autobots. Instead, he transformed and motioned behind him, bringing six more mechs to the front. Prime stiffened in surprise. This must be Rae's family, with an extremely small spider-like mech perched on one's shoulder. Prime instantly recognized Veris – after all, the mech had served with him for well over a hundred years. The others he knew only by their designation, whether they be Autobot or Deception.

Barricade, oblivious to Prime's growing confusion and anxiety, turned to Veris. "I need to help Starscream." he explained. "Can you find Rae from here?"

"Of course." Case commented, cutting across whatever Veris was going to say. "I can sense the AllSpark, and so can Rae. She'll be there with it." Veris nodded. They all looked unusually calm, but Barricade knew it was a farce. The only one truly showing his anxiety was Harbinger, who wouldn't stop looking around and scanning for the girl's vitals.

All conversation was cut off by a massive explosion behind them. Barricade spun around to find Megatron transformed into mech form, staggering from the blows Starscream and Thundercracker were dealing him. He chuckled. "I need to help them." he said simply.

Veris nodded. "Go, but tell Blackout to keep an eye out for Rae." he instructed. Barricade gave a small wave and was gone.

Harbinger tensed. "I have a lock on Rae. She's with the Autobots Ironhide and Jazz."

"Go get her." Silver said firmly. "We'll hold these slag-heads off."

Harbinger nodded once and was gone.

/---/

AN: OK, kind of a shaky ending, but it was the chapter that wouldn't die. Up next, the AllSpark is discovered!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Harbinger glared at the two mechs who were standing in his way. Sunny and Sides were in between him and the military base, him and Rae, and he would not stand for it. His optics narrowed dangerously. "If you have any self-preservation instincts at all, you will get out of my way." he hissed.

"And let you take the AllSpark to Megatron?" Sunny snapped. "You wish, Decepticon."

Harbinger blinked, then laughed coldly. "You think it's the AllSpark I'm after? I couldn't care less about that, or about Megatron. He is no longer my leader. I care about a certain youngling who is in that base along with your two friends. I want her out of there, now."

Sides rolled his optics. "Wow. And I thought Rae was kidding when she said you were protective. A bit much, isn't it?"

"Mute it and get out of my way."

Sunny and Sides exchanged looks. Harbinger waited, semi-patiently, for them to come to a decision. After all, he was a Decepticon, and Autobots were not in the habit of trusting Decepticons. The twins also weren't in the habit of getting into fights with potential allies, either, and there were plenty of other Decepticons to have some fun with. Sides shrugged, and Sunny shook his head.

"All right." Sides said. "But we'll have to warn Ironhide you're coming down there, otherwise he'll kill you on sight."

Harbinger chuckled darkly at that. "Do what you think is best." he said simply. "Either way, I'm going down there." He pushed past the twins and headed towards the base, a determined look on his face. For once, the twins were speechless. Sure, the girl was likeable enough, and considering the way she acted it was only natural for Ironhide to grow as protective of her in a short time as he had – after all, for the Autobots under Prime's command, he took care of the younglings. Ironhide had been the one to raise Bumblebee when he had come to them as the human equivalent of a human teenager.

But why would a Decepticon take to her so easily?

Sunny shook his head and radioed Ironhide. _"'Hide, we have a problem."_

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Some Decepticon is coming your way. I think it's one of Rae's friends."_

On the other end of the connection, Rae smiled softly at that. "That's just Harbinger." she said. "Probably a good thing they didn't try to stop him. Harbinger doesn't take nicely to things like that."

Ironhide shook his head. _"We'll be fine."_ he sent back. _"You just keep an eye out on the rest of them. Don't let your guard down."_

"_What? Did you think we were sparked yesterday?"_

The weapons specialist rolled his optics and cut off communications with the twin. Jazz simply shrugged, expressing everything in that one little gesture. What did Ironhide expect when it came to the twins – for them to take things seriously? The only thing they took seriously were their pranks. "So, where next Rae?" Jazz asked calmly, turning back to the task at hand.

Rae pointed down a long, skinny shaft that might have been an air vent at some point and time. "Down there." she said. "That's where the AllSpark is. I can sqeeze down that and back up easily enough."

Ironhide shook his head. "Find a different way down, Rae." he said. "We can't fit down that thing."

Rae nodded. "I know. But that's the only way down. It's not technically in the building. There's a chamber underneath the place from where the AllSpark plowed in the earth. They built the base over it, with this tunnel going down to it. There is no other way in." She flashed them a quick smile. "I'll be fine."

Jazz nodded slowly. "Yell up if you need help. We'll blast our way down."

Rae saluted him and slid down the shaft, vanishing from the mech's sight as she traveled down where they could not go.

/---/

The tides of battle found Prime and Veris fighting side-by-side, protecting each other just as they had done before. None of the Autobots were willing to fight against Veris, knowing that he was once an Autobot and trusted by Optimus. Prime himself wasn't entirely too sure if he trusted the mech now, but he would let it slide. There were more Decepticons than there were Autobots in this battle. They would need all the help they could get.

"Tell me, Veris." Optimus said calmly, tossing a Decepticon mech back into the group of them pressing the attack. "Who do you serve now? You never did have much ambition to be a leader."

"I'm still not." Veris responded calmly. Sheol's battle against the Autobot Ratchet wasn't going entirely too well, so Veris picked up another Decepticon mech and threw it into Ratchet's side, knocking the medic off-balance and giving Sheol the time to get around him. The mech nodded thankfully to Veris and headed off, rounding off another battle that was getting too close to the base.

Veris glanced at Prime. "I protect those who would call me their leader, Prime. Just as I have always done."

"Even the Decepticons?"

"Have you spoken to Rae?" Veris asked with a laugh. "There are no Decepticons and Autobots to her. We are all simply Transformers."

Prime blinked in surprise. "That explains why Megatron wanted her to manipulate the AllSpark. She cannot be corrupted." He paused long enough to tear a gun away from a mech attacking him and whack him over the head with it. "But what good will it do? No matter what you say, Rae is still a human. She cannot make contact with the AllSpark."

Veris stared at him a moment. "Don't you understand? The AllSpark will do _anything_ to end the war between us. Even allow a human to control it."

/---/

Rae landed on top of something very large and solid. She was pretty sure the landing bruised her hip, but that wasn't the problem. What was problematic was the fact that the hole she had come through was now a good ten feet over her head, and Rae was only about five feet tall. Shaking her head, she knelt down and touched the metallic surface beneath her feet.

_**Are you a child of mine?**_

She jerked in surprise, but didn't end the contact. So the AllSpark was sentient . . . and female too. Made sense for something that had created the Transformers. "I'm a youngling." she whispered, not quite sure if it would hear her.

It did. _**A youngling. There hasn't been a youngling in centuries. You are special, Rae.**_

Another shock to add to the list. "You know my name?"

_**I know all my children's names.**_

She shook her head. "There's a battle going on right now. Megatron wants to find you and use you to end the war. Prime's up there as well, trying to find you before Megatron does." she explained.

_**And you could sense me as well as any of them. Optimus Prime and Megatron were created opposites, but the same. I had hoped that they would unite the Transformers under their joint rule. I was wrong.**_

"Their loss, not yours." Rae said firmly. "I need to get you to Case. He's still Neutral in all this mess."

_**Ah yes. I remember Case very well. You may take me to him, youngling Rae.**_

With that the AllSpark transformed underneath her, becoming smaller and smaller until it was the size of a die cube. Rae picked it up off the ground and placed it in her pocket. "Here's to hoping I can get you past Prime." she muttered under her breath. She looked up at the hole and called up. "Ironhide!"

"You all right down there, Rae?"

"I'm fine, but I don't think I can get back out." she admitted. "The hole was a bit bigger than I thought. No stairs."

Jazz chuckled. "Maybe Harbinger will have a trick up his arm plate when he gets here."

"Only if he brings Bracket with him."

Ironhide started to respond, but his words were drowned out by a massive explosion, and the world vanished into darkness and pain.

/---/

AN: Oh, you guys are gonna hate me for that. Well, the story is coming to a close now. Review, please!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Megatron screamed in rage and hate, literally picking up Sunstreaker and throwing him into the base, destroying the walls and caving in the ceiling. Sideswipe shouted in surprise, alerting Ratchet to the injured mech, and both make their way to the base to tend to Sunny. The Autobot mech was cussing up a storm, the electronic clicks and beeps sounded foul even to the mechs not close enough to catch the words. Ratchet almost laughed as he hauled Sunny to his feet.

"You're alright." he grunted. "You're turning the air blue – you must be fine."

"I slagging well better be turning the air blue!" Sunny spat. "Let go of me! I'm gonna find that fragger and tear his slagging head off!"

Silver rolled his optics as he cautiously picked his way across the debris. "I can see a couple centuries haven't cleaned out your mouth any." he muttered. Sunny shot him a glare.

"Pit-spawned traitor." Sunny growled under his breath. Sides looked just as livid as his twin, setting Ratchet on edge. Silver simply pushed his way past them, picking his way to a pair of steel beams and lifting them up and to the side. Ratchet turned to the twins.

"What the pit was that all about?" he demanded.

"We used to serve with Little Silver before he was exiled." Sides explained. He was a bit calmer than his twin. "Silver made friends with a Decepticon and even attacked Sunny to protect the slagger. Hot Rod was the leader of our unit at the time – he was forced to exile Silver for his treason." Ratchet shook his head.

"And the past comes back to haunt us." he murmured.

"I'll agree with that." Sunny growled. "I could just kill him now and save us a whole lot of headache."

"I don't think the others would let you get away with that." Sides pointed out dryly.

"Hot Rod ordered us to kill him on sight if he came anywhere near the Autobots again."

"Not Optimus. Him."

Sunny and Ratchet glanced behind them. Sheol, a Decepticon, was helping Silver dig through the wreckage. Ironhide had already forced his way out and was growling something decidedly foul-sounding under his breath, and all three of them were working to free Jazz. One of the support beams had pinned the mech's legs when the base had collapsed. Ratchet already knew that the spy was not in any immediate danger of going permanently off-line. He was keeping up a pretty cheeky conversation with Sheol.

Ratchet shook his head and turned back to the others. "The base is gone. Something as big as the AllSpark would have been unearthed by now."

"Maybe." Sunny said. "But don't forget – that human went down there too. She may have found it before they did."

"Possibly." Ratchet glanced again at the group, where Jazz was finally back on his feet and Silver and Sheol continued to dig, probably trying to find their human companion. Ironhide said something to Jazz, who nodded and followed him back into the fray. Apparently they had some sort of plan.

"Let's get back to work." Sides said. "There's still more Decepticons to turn to slag."

/---/

Rae groaned in pain. She could already tell her left arm was broken; white-hot blood was trickling down her elbow from where the bone had punched through the skin. Case was going to have a field day with that one. Aside from the arm, she was a collection of aches and pains, most of it from the steel beam that was pinning her down across her stomach. It had probably broken a few ribs, she figured, judging from how hard it was to breathe. It was so dark she couldn't see, but using her free, uninjured arm she could feel the gaps in the debris around her. She could probably climb out, if she absolutely had to.

If the support beam holding her down would move.

She tried to move, and screamed in pain.

_**I can help you.**_

Rae coughed, her voice raspy due to lack of air and floating particles. "How?"

_**Be prepared to move.**_

With that the AllSpark in her pocket heated up, and the beam began to tremble and shake. Slowly, ever so slowly, it began to lift just enough to ease the pressure on her ribs. She cried out once again, the lack of pressure opening new hurts and aches, but it kept lifting bit by bit.

Finally, Rae deemed it sufficient that she could get out, she began to squirm backwards, out from under the support beam. It took some doing, but finally she was free. The AllSpark went cold again, and the beam shifted back into its former position. Rae shivered at the sounds.

"All right." she whispered. "Time to get out of here." She reached up with her good arm, found another chunk of metal stable enough to support her weight, and lifted herself up.

/---/

Optimus and Veris stopped suddenly in their battle. Megatron stood in front of them, an insane light to his optics that neither had seen before. He looked on the verge of losing what little reasoning skills his CPU still possessed. Or maybe he had already lost it. Optimus couldn't tell, and Veris's stone cold expression revealed nothing of his thoughts. A wry smile twisted Prime's faceplates. At least that one thing had not changed. Veris was still as unpredictable as ever.

"You will give me the AllSpark, Prime." Megatron hissed. "And I will use it to end this war. Don't you want all of this to end?"

"It can." Optimus said simply. "You can surrender."

"NEVER!"

"That's real smart, Prime." Veris muttered. Optimus shot him a filthy look.

"I won't let him take the AllSpark, even if he can't control it." he snapped.

"Probably a good thing, too." Veris commented dryly. "He'd probably kill you with it." He took a step forward, raising his voice as he addressed Megatron. "We don't have the AllSpark, you pit-slagging fool." His optics shifted past the Decepticon leader, but only for a second. "Chances are, you destroyed it when you destroyed the human base."

Megatron's optics lit in sadistic glee. "I killed your pet human too." he whispered.

Veris stiffened. "Somehow, I doubt that." he said quietly, his voice instantly turning frigid in his anger. Megatron laughed. Prime shifted ever-so-slightly away from Veris. It might have been cowardly, but he had no desire to get caught in the crossfire between an insane Decepticon and a pissed-off Veris.

"I killed her! I was going to kill her anyway, but this is so much sweeter. Now I can watch your comrades suffer her death!"

At that moment, Starscream struck.

/---/

AN: I'll do it again – Three reviews, or no chapter! (laughs) Actually, you'd get the chapter anyway, but three reviews would make me feel better. Just let me know you're reading it.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Starscream and Megatron went into a head-over-heels tumble, taking them past Veris and almost to the remains of the base. There wasn't much either could do. Between the somersaulting roll and their grip on each other, they were reduced to a rather primitive catfight. For once, Veris had a slightly amused expression on his face. Starscream had bought them the few moments they needed to work a miracle.

At the same moment that the two Decepticons came to a halt, Barricade, Blackout, an the other Seekers attacked Megatron, pulling him off of Starscream and hauling him backward away from the Seeker. The Decepticon leader was cursing up a storm, but none of the grim-faced mechs backed away from his threats.

Veris took off, racing for the fallen building with every intent to help his comrades find their youngling. Ironhide and Jazz had forced their way back to Optimus's side and all three were now advancing on Megatron, not intending to interfere, but willing to do so if it would rid them of Megatron.

None of them made it.

A brilliant violet light pulsed from the building, freezing all the mechs in place with its power. It only pulsed for a second. When it dimmed, Rae was standing just outside the ruins of the base, glowing with the power of the AllSpark. The cube, now roughly about ten inches square, hovered just above her hands and cupped gently against her chest like a child. Case's optics widened in shocked comprehension.

Rae's grey eyes burned as she surveyed the battling mechs. _**"This has gone on long enough."**_ she hissed, her voice sounding deeper and much more mature that it should have. Prime tensed, suspicion of what Case already knew beginning to crawl through his CPU.

The human was channeling the AllSpark.

She walked forward, pausing every few moments in obvious pain. Her broken arm was visible to all, but no one could see any internal damage just yet. All that was clear was that the AllSpark was making its presence known through a broken organic vessel. It was a slap in the face to the mechs who thought only they could control it, and a double-edged sword to the Neutrals who had raised Rae. They had done their job too well, it seemed.

Rae scowled at the mechs. _**"All this time, and you've exiled your allies and killed your brothers."**_ Her voice was changing even as she spoke, shifting towards her own voice that still held a hint of metal in it. Like a Transformer. _**"Is there anything worth fighting for anymore? Even your homeland is destroyed! I made you to be brothers and yet you kill each other to control me! It ends now. This is ENOUGH!"**_

The power flared, and suddenly Megatron crumpled to the ground, his spark extinguished by the AllSpark's power. Rae turned to Starscream. _**"You are now the rightful leader of the Decepticon faction."**_ she said quietly. _**"For showing this youngling kindness and desiring her safety above yours."**_ Starscream nodded, taking the compliment in stride. This was not Rae speaking at all. Besides, if he was honest with himself, it was true.

Rae smiled at him and turned her focus to Optimus. _**"Optimus Prime. How I hoped that you and Megatron would unite the Transformers under your joint rule. I was mistaken."**_

Surprising all, Prime spoke. "I felt the need to counterbalance my brother's actions." he said quietly. "Megatron became a danger to all."

The AllSpark nodded. _**"As did you."**_ Prime looked startled. _**"Did you think your actions against Veris were for the good of the Transformers? He prevented you from making a grievous mistake, and you punished him for it."**_ She sighed and shook her head. _**"You must promise me something, Optimus Prime. You must promise that you will work with Starscream to end the fighting between the Decepticons and the Autobots. Will you do that?"**_

Prime glanced at Starscream, at the dead mech who had once been his brother, and finally at the mechs who surrounded him. He knew of his own desires, that he would kill himself if it meant the end of the war. He nodded. "I will."

The AllSpark graced him with a smile and turned around, disregarding the others in favor of Barricade, Ironhide, and Jazz. A pale indigo light surrounded them, and in an instant their wounds were healed. At their confused looks, she flashed them a grin. _**"A favor to Rae. And now it is time to go home."**_

The aura of power faded, and Rae's eyes closed as her body went limp, the AllSpark falling from her hands. Harbinger jumped forward and grabbed her before she hit the ground, carefully cradling the injured girl to her chest. Anger and pain shone from his optics as he surveyed everyone on the field. No words were spoken, but Prime knew the former Decepticon laid the blame on Prime's shoulders.

Veris walked up behind Harbinger and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's time to go home." he said quietly. Looking around, Veris watched as his fellow Transformers gathered around him, Case now holding the small AllSpark cube. "Roll out."

Instantly they all transformed and rode off, Veris waiting until Harbinger had transformed into alt mode before lightly setting Rae into his cab and watching him take off, careful not to jostle his precious cargo. Veris was about to follow suit, but Jazz stopped him.

"You'll let us know how she is, right?"

He hesitated. "You have my word."

A few minutes later he was gone, and it was as if they were never there at all.

/---/

AN: A bit short, but this is pretty much it. There's one more chapter left.

Be honest – who saw that coming? (grins)


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

They met again near the wreckage from the battle, using the now completely abandoned place to hide their activities. Despite the recent truce between Optimus Prime and Starscream, there was still a lot of tension between the two factions. When Autobots and Decepticons met in peace, they would still have to be secretive.

Veris and Harbinger watched as Starscream, Barricade, Ironhide, and Jazz transformed into their mech forms and joined them by the ruins of the base. "Is Rae all right?" Jazz demanded, quickly cutting to the chase. Veris nodded.

"She still hasn't woken up." he said. "Case set her broken arm, but until she wakes up we won't know the extent of the damage. Case's sensors aren't as good as Ratchet's." He held up a hand as Ironhide started to speak. "Don't even suggest it. You know as well as I do the only way Ratchet is coming in our base is as a prisoner. It's not safe for us – or him."

Starscream smirked. "Don't tell me the others blame Ratchet for what happened."

"No." Harbinger said quietly. "That blame lies with Prime and Megatron. Still, I have a feeling Sheol and Silver would just love to take their frustrations out on a convenient mech. Ratchet would be a sitting duck considering his limited firepower." Jazz and Ironhide nodded acceptingly. Barricade chuckled dryly.

"And therein lies the problem. What are you going to do if something is wrong with her and Case doesn't catch it?" he asked, turning his optics to Veris.

The ex-Autobot shrugged. "Humans have a way of manifesting physical damages before they become too serious." he said. "I just hope this will be one of those times."

"Everyone cross your fingers and pray to Primus everything goes well." Starscream muttered. For once Jazz and Ironhide found themselves in complete agreement with the Decepticon. Jazz turned to Barricade and Starscream, an odd look in his optics.

"Now what do we do?" he wondered. "I know Optimus drew up a peace treaty, but are all the Decepticons going to be willing to follow you?"

Starscream sighed and shook his head. "No. Apparently there were some who were loyal to Megatron as opposed to his power. Ravage was the most powerful – consequently he's also their leader." He turned to face Veris and Harbinger. "You'll need to be careful. He blames Rae for Megatron's death."

Harbinger snorted. "I don't know who this Ravage is, but he better watch out." he growled. "No one will try to hurt Rae and get away with it. Not after this." Veris nodded assent, his optics glowing with frozen fury. Ironhide felt sorry for Ravage if the unknown Decepticon ever got the idea of hurting Rae. He had never seen Veris truly enraged before, but if even Optimus was willing to give him a wide berth, then there was no way Ironhide would be willing to risk it.

Barricade shook his head. "No. It won't be that easy. Ravage is one of the few mechs that Megatron liked to keep very far away from him, despite his devotion. See, Ravage has a way of killing people who get in his way. He's an indiscriminant murderer."

"And I wasn't?" Harbinger pointed out dryly.

"Good point." Starscream conceded.

"Enough." Jazz said suddenly. "Optimus wants us to report in. Apparently our absence has not gone unnoticed." Ironhide made a face.

"We'll just tell him we went out for a drive." the weapons specialist said simply. Jazz stared at him in shock.

"I never thought I'd see the day where you would lie to Prime." he murmured. Ironhide shrugged.

"I don't like doing it, but do you really think Optimus would let us get away with this?" he pointed out. "There's the peace treaty, yes, but we're still Autobots and Decepticons. It will be a long time yet before those lines are erased."

"If they ever are." Barricade murmured. Jazz nodded in agreement.

"Case is calling us." Veris said suddenly. "We should be heading back." Harbinger nodded and transformed back into a monster truck, waiting patiently for Veris to follow suit. Veris took an extra moment to talk to the other mechs. "Know this – whatever your leaders may say, you will always be welcome at the Neutral base. Rae has gotten rather fond of you, and I think she'd be upset if you never dropped by for a visit."

Ironhide nodded. "You have our word."

"Let us know when she's ready for visitors." Jazz added. In a flash the two Autobots and two Decepticons transformed into their alt modes and took off, leaving Veris and Harbinger by themselves. Veris quickly resumed his alt mode and kept by Harbinger's side, allowing the Decepticon to lead the way a bit. Most of the trip was done in silence, but then Harbinger broke it.

"You seem very quiet."

Veris would have smiled if he'd been able to. "I'm thinking."

"I thought I smelled smoke."

"Oh, mute it." Veris griped good-naturedly. "I was just wondering – all of this, the end of the war between our kind, and it was all brought along by a human girl. Who would have thought it?"

"Apparently Primus." Harbinger said with a laugh. "But as Rae is so fond of saying, she's not a human. Not anymore. She's a Transformer."

**The End**

AN: Ok, so it's a really short chapter. Sue me. The point is Drive is now done, and there is one more in this little trilogy coming up as soon as I either knock off Head Knowledge or school ends, whichever comes first. (pray for summer). Be on the lookout for **Rebirth**, the conclusion to the story of Rae and the Neutrals. For now.

Until then, I remain truly yours,

Shadowblade-tara


End file.
